Easier - Aztecs
were a wandering Native American tribe who came to
Mexico during the 13th century. There they built a
great civilization including cities, pyramids, and
temples. In 1519 Spanish conquistadors arrived in
Mexico and defeated the Aztecs.

Harder - Aztec
comes from the word Azteca, which is derived from
Aztlán ("White Land"). Aztlán is
believed to have been the northwestern region of
today's Mexico. Aztlán is the land where,
according to Aztec tradition, their tribe
originated. According to Aztec legend at the
beginning of the 12th century until the 13th
century, the Aztec peoples migrated south to the
Valley of Mexico in search of a place to
settle.

By the 1400's and into the early 1500's, the
Aztecs had established one of the most advanced
civilizations in the Americas. Some of their cities
at that time were as large as any in Europe. Aztec
peoples practiced a religion that affected every
part of their lives. To honor their gods, they
constructed towering temples, huge sculptures, and
held ceremonies that included bloody human
sacrifices. The Aztec empire was destroyed by the
Spaniards, who conquered it in 1521. But the Aztecs
have made a lasting mark on Mexican culture.

This website has photos of temples, sculptures
and glyphs,eyewitness accounts of ritual human
sacrifice, poems in Nahuatl -- the language of the
Aztecs (translated to English),an extensive listing
of the gods and goddesses worshiped, and more.

Read descriptions of the history, religion,
economy, society, and writings of this culture that
dominated the Valley of Mexico in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries.

After exploring Aztec cultures through
some of the resources provided, complete
one or more of these projects.

Create A Timeline of the Aztec
Culture. After visiting websites like
The
Aztec and Mexica:
Aztecs, create a timeline that
identifies and dates the important events
of Aztec history.

Write An Aztec Story. Find out
what Aztec life was like at The
Aztec, Aztecs,
The
Ancient Aztecs, and other websites.
See if you can find out what they ate,
what their houses were like, and what
typical activities they had. Then write a
short story featuring the daily life of an
Aztec youngster.

Draw Aztec Art. Create a
drawing or painting that focuses on some
part of Aztec life or history. You may
want to include the people and their
clothing. You might feature a dwelling, or
village, or their temple. Your artwork
could focus on the different agriculture
methods that Aztec farmers employed; slash
and burn, terracing, hanging gardens, etc.
Or you might focus on their village life
showing crafts, trade, and religion.

Complete An Aztec WebQuest.
Adapt or follow the procedures found at
one of the following webQuest sites. You
may find the links on the page are no
longer active; however, the links below
will provide plenty of online resources.

Website provides information about the Aztecs
society and governmental structure, their
scientific advances in the areas of astronomy and
medicine, religion,and interest in the arts,
agriculture and social conditions of their time.
Also learn about Cortez and the Spanish conquest of
the Aztecs.

There is not just one Aztec calendar, there are
two more or less independent systems. A 365 day
calendar, called the xiuhpohualli, describes the
days and rituals related to the seasons,. The other
calendar has 260 days. In Nahuatl, the language of
the Aztecs, it is called the tonalpohualli or, in
English, the day-count. Most information on this
Internet-site refers to the tonalpohualli, which is
the sacred calendar.

It is the year 1527 and an Independent Counsel
has been chosen by the Roman Catholic Church to
determine a policy for the Church toward future
exploration, conquest and conversion of the native
people of Mexico.